Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Washtenaw County, Michigan

Rawsonville

Unincorporated community in Michigan, United States.

Record

About Rawsonville

Rawsonville is an unincorporated community on the boundary of Washtenaw County and Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Small parts of the historic community of Rawsonville lie under Belleville Lake, which is an artificial reservoir created in 1925 when the Eastern Michigan Edison Company built the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse along the Huron River.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Rawsonville, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Rawsonville is

USGS topographic map around Rawsonville
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

14 historic USGS maps cover Rawsonville

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Rawsonville

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Michigan index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Rawsonville": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Rawsonville, Michigan": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q20710662.
  4. USGS GNIS 635675.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).